You Rock, Poppy Kessler! (Rian Dawson of All Time Low)

Part Two

anybody at all? anybody have any feelings? thoughts?

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Smacking her lips together, one last time, Poppy checked her lip gloss to make sure the shade and shine weren't too much for her outfit. The "perfectly pouty pink" shade that the label described was bright, but gave just the right look for the evening. Not that it mattered, about half way into dinner it'd be smudged off anyway. Poppy tossed her lip gloss into her purse and sighed. Why did she feel the need to care so damn much? It was just Rian.

They had gone to dinner a million times. There was nothing about this that made it any different than any other time they hung out, which was every day practically. He was her best friend and one of the only people who mattered, aside from her parents.

For whatever reason, today when Poppy had arrived home, Ainsley her roommate was there, a rarity in itself. The tall, stick thin, blond had questioned her roommate a hundred different ways when she'd found out Poppy was going to dinner with a guy. Ainsley had asked what Poppy's rush had been, Poppy had simply stated she was going to dinner. Ainsley asked who and Poppy replied with nothing more than stating Rian's sex of his species. Now Ainsley was gone and Poppy was finding herself in a freak out.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Poppy Kessler?" Poppy asked herself in the mirror in a stern tone of voice. "He is just a friend, this is Rian fucking Dawson, you've done this before so stop acting like some crazy love sick tween!" she coached herself.

One step away from slapping herself in the face and throwing a glass of cold water at herself, Poppy was stopped by the door bell. Saved by the bell! Casually sauntering over to the door, her high heels clicking on the hardwood, she opened to door to Rian.

Shoving a huge bouquet of flowers in her face, Rian grinned from ear to ear and stepped inside.

"You look hot, Poppy Kessler!" he announced with a laugh, as she took the flowers and turned to walk away to put them up.

"You're an idiot, Rian Dawson!" Poppy called back over her shoulder.

A few seconds later, after the flowers were properly taken care of, Poppy emerged.

"Ready for your this is not a birthday dinner, birthday dinner?" Rian asked holding his arm out for her to take.

"You are a real piece of work, Rian." Poppy laughed, locking the door behind them and walking with Rian to his car. "And this is not a birthday dinner."

"No and the flowers weren't a present either." Rian winked opening her door and allowing her to slide into the car.

Dinner wasn't at all what Poppy had expected, she was convinced they would end up at the same little place they always did, not this time. Rian had changed things up a bit, seeing as Alex was out of town for the next few days, Rian had been adventurous and a little dangerous and made dinner himself. Cooking wasn't something Rian Dawson was known for; burning down the house was always thought to be the results.

Dinner was as simple as a meal could get, without making cereal or toast, but Poppy wouldn't complain. If she didn't have to pay, eat it from a box or make it herself she was quite happy. Clearing the dishes away after dinner, Rian chatted on about his upcoming tour schedule and things they would need to get done before hand. Poppy was taking mental notes of everything, making sure not to leave out any detail. It was a given that before he left Rian would come to her needing something.

"I'll be right back; do you want anything more to drink?" Rian asked grabbing Poppy's glass and walking to the kitchen before she could say anything.

"Rian, do you need any help?" Poppy called hearing a loud clanging noise.

"Nope." Rian yelled back.

"Okay, but if you get hurt then I'm going to laugh, then maybe call 9-1-1. "

"I won't get hurt and nice to know you care." Rian assured her. "Hey Pops, close your eyes."

"Rian, I swear if you..." Poppy started at him, just to be cut off.

"Close your damn eyes!" Rian demanded popping his head back into the room for two seconds.

Poppy covered her eyes with her hands and waited, she didn't know what she was waiting for and she hated surprises. With an irritated sigh, she waited and waited for what seemed like hours. She could smell something burning and that alarmed her, Rian had no doubt lit something on fire in his five minutes alone in the kitchen.

"Open em up!" Rian exclaimed cheerfully.

Opening her eyes, Poppy looked at the giant bakery box in front of her on the table. Inside was an elaborately decorated cake, with a mass of candles on the top. Under the burning sticks of wax, Poppy read the cake. You Rock, Pippy Keizer!

"Uh, Rian, who the hell is Pippy Keizer?"

"Fuck!" Rian shouted grabbing the cake before Poppy could blow out the candles, blowing out the candles on his own; Rian stared helplessly at the cake with the wrong name on it. He was very specific to the lady at the bakery.

Poppy laughed at Rian's reaction to the misprinted name. "Is she your accountant?"

"Can we return a cake?" Rian asked with a half hearted smile. "I swear I spelled your name right to them. Clearly she's a Metro Station fan!"

Poppy laughed even harder at Rian's remarks. The poor kid, he just couldn't catch a break. When he tried to do something nice, it never went well.

"Who cares, let's eat it anyway." Poppy said grabbing a fork that Rian had brought out, not bothering to cut the cake she dug her fork into the cake that was still sitting in the box that Rian was holding.

"This is why you rock, Poppy Kessler!" Rian exclaimed excitedly grabbing the other fork and digging into the cake. "So, how was your not a birthday dinner and cake, with flowers that weren't a present, birthday dinner and cake with the present I gave you?"

"It's not a birthday dinner, Rian." Poppy said firmly. "Besides, my birthday is tomorrow."

"Which reminds me, I am going out with some friends, want to come along?" Rian asked licking frosting off of his fingers.

"I'll pass, I already told you. I have plans tomorrow."

Rian raised his brow and took another bite of the cake, Poppy Kessler wasn't fooling anybody.